Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said that a man who lives in a Thousand Oaks nursing home has been arrested on suspicion of killing his friend.
A news release from the Sheriff’s Department says that at 4:40 a.m. Friday, the Silverado Memory Care Center on Warwick Avenue called to say that a resident was upset and had broken a window.
Police say that deputies found 58-year-old resident Thomas Buckley in a shared area of the facility and arrested him. The staff then went to check on his 72-year-old friend Michael Patterson. The workers saw that Patterson had serious bruises that looked like they were caused by an attack.
The police called paramedics to the scene, but Patterson was declared dead not long after.
Investigators say that Buckley hurt one of the workers at the facility with his fist before the officers arrived.
Patterson’s death is being looked into as a murder. An autopsy will be done by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office to find out the official cause and method of death.
The Sheriff’s Department said Buckley was arrested on suspicion of murder, attack with a deadly weapon, and vandalism. His bail was set at $2 million, and he is still in jail. He will be formally charged on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in Ventura County Superior Court.
Silverado said something about what happened on Sunday.
Someone from Silverado, Jeff Frum, said, “Our thoughts are with the families and everyone who has been affected by this tragedy.” “We care most about the safety and well-being of our residents and staff, and we are fully cooperating with the police in their investigation.”
If you know anything about what happened, please call Det. Gerardo Cruz at (805) 384-4726 or Det. Erik Hernandez at (805) 384-4729.
Source: Thousand Oaks nursing home resident arrested on suspicion of killing his roommate
